Framing And Perspectives: Exploring The Rhetorical Functions of Thematic Choices in Nigerian Editorials on Terrorism In Nigeria

Abstract

This paper explores Nigerian media’s choices of Themes in editorials on terrorism in Nigeria. The study relates to how well Nigerian newspaper organisations attempted to reveal or mask security cases across different regions of the country through thematic choices. The editorials were sourced from The Punch and The Guardian (South-Western region), Vanguard and The Sun (East Region) and Leadership and Daily Trust (Northern Region) between 2014 and 2016. Our findings show that preposition-headed adjuncts occurred the most in thematic positions. Marked adjuncts were used to substantiate claims, inject prejudices and mark varying degrees of commitments. Marked complements were thematised to project the sufferers/victims of violence, thus achieve emotive effects on the readers. The multiple Themes were made to function as adversatives, correctives, emphases and stance markers on security measures in the editorials. All the newspapers employed thematic relations that explicitly projected negative disposition to the violent activities of cattle herders, Boko Haram insurgents and Niger Delta militant in Nigeria.